Events

COMING UP...

Sunday, March 28, 2010: the 3rd Annual Ithaca St. Baldrick's Day
Shaving the way to Conquer Childhood Cancer!

Join us to shave your head for kids with cancer, sponsor someone shaving their head, or come to cheer us on! More info here soon.

Syracuse MileStones walk to benefit CureSearch
We're planning a 2010 MileStones walk in Upstate New York! If you'd like to help, or like to partcipate as a walker or a sponsoring organization, please e-mail us.

Amy Chaffee will undertake the Florida Ironman, November 6, 2010--via the Janus Charity Challenge--in support of Mira's Movement! Mira will be by your side, Amy! We love you! More information to come...

ONGOING...

T-shirt Design Project
Help Mira's Movement to raise awareness of childhood cancer by decorating a t-shirt! See all the details here.

Reach the Day 2009 and Advocacy for CureSearch
For the second year, we attended CureSearch's Reach the Day event June 22-23 in Washington, D.C.. In addition to receiving updates on the progress and challenges in pediatric cancer research from the Chairman of the Children's Oncology Group (COG) Dr. Greg Reaman, we lobbied Congress for appropriations to fund the Caroline Walker Pryce Conquer Childhood Cancer Act signed into law last July. This year we attended as Team Leaders and had a wonderful group of Upstate New York families with us for our Hill visits. Sebastian Gillen, an 11-year survivor of Stage IV Neuroblastoma, treated at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center, provided inspiration to the group of over 400 people before we headed to our meetings. Sebastian spoke of what it means to live as a child with cancer. Many of us know that reality all too well, but to hear it from the child's lips spoke to our hearts and reminded us all that time is of the essence. Kids are losing their childhoods and lives to this horrible disease each and every day. Thank you, Sebastian, for leading the charge that day!

If you'd like to know more about how to get involved in CureSearch activities or how to support CureSearch's work, e-mail curesearch@mirasmovement.org.

Gary's Mid-Life Crisis Run
Ithacan Gary Williams turned 45 in March. He wanted to mark this birthday in a significant way. Rather than grow a ponytail (ridiculous!) or buy a sportscar (frivilous!), he chose to raise money to support kids with cancer. To mark his 45th year, Gary ran 45 miles—yes, 45 miles!—to raise nearly $2500 for Mira's Movement.

It turned out to be a warm, sunny day--not what you want for an incredibly long run--and we expected Gary to crawl across the finish line. But Gary was at a jog as he came in, and I could see in his face that he was staying upright in honor of all the kids who fight so hard. (He later confirmed that.) Within 5 minutes of ending his run, Gary was contemplating how he could maximize his fundaising post-run. I was in awe. What had begun as a run about where he was in life had turned into a run about a very different thing. I saw the lengthy run as a spot-on metaphor for what our children endure. Fighting as they hope that the finish will be worth it, but not really knowing if they'll make it. And even the supporters--they hang in and cheer and do all they can, also not knowing if the finish will be a success, but there all the way.

Thank you, Gary, for the amazing gift that your run became to our organization. One person's challenge to themselves can make a tremendous difference to others.

Ithaca Sunrise Rotary Hosts Casino Night to Benefit Mira's Movement
On Saturday, June 13, the Ithaca Hilton Garden Inn buzzed with excitement as the Sunrise Rotary kicked off their second annual Casino Night. The raffle promised $1600 in prizes and dozens of exciting items were available in the silent auction. Attendees gambled at Blackjack, Beat the Dealer, and Let it Roll (with reasonable bets of $1 to $3) and had a wonderful time. As with all fundraisers, not only money, but awareness of childhood cancer was raised. One of the raffle winners, Sue Eginton, donated her winnings to Mira's Movement! Wow! Thank you to the Ithaca Sunrise Rotary for all their hard work in making this event happen and for the generosity of our many, many donors.

March 29, 2009
The 2nd Annual Ithaca St. Baldrick's Foundation Fundraiser

We raised nearly $54,000 at this year's Ithaca St. Baldrick's event! St. Baldrick's is the world's largest volunteer fundraising organization for pediatric cancer research.

60 people shaved their heads to make a difference for these kids. Some shaved in memory of children lost, some in honor of those fighting, and others for the larger cause. It was a great event with wonderful music, and many committed people turning out to support the shavees. Many proclaimations of 'next year!' were heard throughout the day.

Thank you to Kilpatrick's for hosting this event, and to our many volunteers who made this event happen.

Click here for more information about St. Baldrick's Foundation.

To subscribe to our mailing list, please e-mail jointhefight@mirasmovement.org and tell us your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. If you are a family member of a child with cancer, please let us know your relationship to that child and with what type of cancer they were diagnosed.

Thank you for joining the fight!